Return of the fans

By Devin D. O'Leary

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away George Lucas actually made a good movie. It was called Star Wars. Later on, it was called A New Hope, but we're ignoring that for now. He followed it up with one highly regarded sequel (which he did not direct) and a trilogy-ending capper that had its moments, but mostly rehashed the good parts from the previous films. Years later, he returned to the storyline, giving the world a pair of prequels that were alternately juvenile and ungodly complicated. Now, Lucas has decided it's time to put this baby to bed. This summer—as if you didn't know—Lucas is unleashing the final Star Wars film. So excuse me while I cut to the chase: Longstanding fans of Lucas' star-spanning empire can breathe one big, collective sigh of relief. This is the first film to actually compare favorably with Lucas' original vision.

Unusual Korean romance is guilty of breaking and entering

By Devin D. O'Leary

Sometime after the turn of this current century, South Korea very quietly took over as the cutting edge film center of Asia. Whereas Tokyo and Hong Kong were once the cinematic trendsetters, Korea is now the major exporter with a string of inventive, artistic and action-packed worldwide hits. Take Care of My Cat; My Sassy Girl; Volcano High; Musa the Warrior; Oldboy; Chihwaseon: Painted Fire; Taegukgi: Brotherhood of War; 2009: Lost Memories; A Tale of Two Sisters; No Blood No Tears; Sky Blue; Untold Scandal; Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring: The list continues to grow.

Fall Seasons are Unveiled

By Devin D. O'Leary

Last week was TV's infamous “Up Front” week. That is the moment when networks announce their big fall lineups in hopes of attracting lots of shiny new advertisers. So what do we have to look forward to (or not) this fall?

Mucha Lucha: The Return of El Malefico (Cartoon Network 6 p.m.) The Mexican wrestling-themed toon series throws a hammerlock around Cartoon Network's Friday night lineup with a feature-length film in which our young heroes battle an evil grappler. Mexican wrestling and cartoons? What more could a man ask for?